Harding Early Years Program
Consistent with the growing body of evidence about effective early care and education programs, the framework for the HEYP reflects a comprehensive and coordinated network of early care and support spanning ages 0 to 5 and includes four critical components: high-quality learning for all, social/emotional competence, health and well-being, and family stability and support.. The foundation for HEYP is built upon the work and learning of the Harding Early Childhood Initiative (HECI), the Main Family Resource Center of Carpinteria (MFRCC), and the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ).
At its core, the purpose of HEYP is to maximize community, school, and family assets in service of the children in the Harding School neighborhood with college readiness as the ultimate outcome. There are four main goals of the HEYP are:
- Children enter school ready to learn.
- Children master grade-level content standards through grade 6.
- Children are healthy and thriving.
- Families are actively engaged and serve as a strong support for their child’s learning and development.
The overall aim of the HEYP is rooted in a sense of urgency to eliminate the academic gap between students by developing a comprehensive and coordinated system of early care and learning for children and families who reside in the Harding School neighborhood. The HEYP seeks to build upon existing assets and strengthen resources in our families, neighborhood, school, and community by building a fail-safe network with differentiated services based on specific needs of families and/or children. There two primary process goals of the HEYP in year 1 are: (1) develop an integrated preschool program and (2) create a shared vision and strategic plan for a long-term system of coordinated early care and learning for children ages 0 to 5 and their families that is sustained over the course of 10 or more years.
The first goal is to develop an infrastructure that will support a comprehensive and coordinated network of early care and learning for children and their families in the Harding neighborhood by starting with preschool. This goal will seek to increase the quantity and quality of learning for preschool children and their families who choose to attend Harding School. The underlying assumption of this phase is that we have to first build the capacity of the school personnel to develop and deliver a coordinated network of early care and learning that extends beyond the traditional early childhood education model. As part of the HEYP, the preschool program will include full-day classes, the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, research-based English Language Development instruction, weekly academic enrichment for preschool children, weekly collaboration among preschool teachers, participation of preschool teachers in weekly school-wide professional development activities, increased family support, and increased parent education and leadership opportunities. We believe that these activities will result in kindergarten readiness by the end of preschool.
The second goal is to develop the infrastructure of HEYP to support and sustain a coordinated network and early care and learning for children ages 0 to 5 and their families in the Harding School neighborhood. At its core, the HEYP is a collaborative effort and, as such, 2009-2010 will emphasize partnership-building and the development of the network. The primary overarching is to develop a strong organizational foundation for HEYP, which includes a high-quality preschool program for Harding neighborhood families based on research; a strong and collaborative early care and learning leadership team; viable and committed partners; a shared vision and mission; and a strategic plan that defines the work of the HEYP for the subsequent three years (2010-2013). This will include the hiring of a director who will work with the principal to lead the collaborative development of a three-year HEYP strategic plan. Shifting to a more inclusive approach that includes children ages 0 to 5, their parents and families, neighbors, and community partners will require strong leadership, a shared mission and vision, and a clearly-defined and agreed-upon path. We believe that the systematic and year-long development of a shared vision and strategic plan will result in a well-designed system of comprehensive and coordinated early care and learning that will be sustainable over time for the ultimate purpose of achieving the four desired outcomes described above.
Once the first stretch of the conveyor belt is built Phase I, the HEYP is expected to move into Phase II in fall 2010. Phase II shifts the work of the HEYP from design and development to the delivery of services when we will begin expanding the early care and learning services beyond Harding School to include community partners. Some initial ideas for the HEYP in subsequent phases include:
- A year-round family resource center open to the neighborhood;
- Family support services with options based upon need, ranging from web-based support to intensive face-to-face support services delivered in the home);
- An online early care and learning portal with courses and resources on child development, neighborhood blogs based on developmental stages, threaded discussions with experts, and online chats with pediatrician and obstetricians; and
- Neighborhood fairs to promote the HEYP goals (e.g., health fair, parenting fair).
